- Date
- September 26, 1982, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Berkeley Spring, WV
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8690EPiper PA-32-R-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820926051739A
- Case key
- 69931
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
In flight encounter with weather
Flight into known adverse weather - initiatedFactor
Weather condition - cloudsFactor
Terrain condition - high terrainFactor
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Vfr flight into imc - continuedCause
Lack of total instrument timeFactor
In flight collision with terrain/water
Light condition - daylight
Terrain condition - mountainous/hillyFactor
Terrain condition - risingFactor
Analysis
While en route, the aircraft collided with the side of a mountain during level flight at about 2000 ft MSL. The impact occurred where the terrain sloped upward at about a 45 deg angle. Prior to takeoff, the pilot was advised of marginal VFR conditions and possible obscuration of the mountain tops. VFR flight was not recommended.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8690E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-R-300 (PA-32-R-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680157
- Airframe hours
- 456
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Duane Luebbe
- Registered owner
- Duane & Alvin Luebbe
- Departed
- W16 · Winchester, VA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 151 total · 54 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 10 knots
- Observed at
- 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.